Shoe string



Y my 23, .1935. J, E. TATE 2,009,330

SHOE STRING Filed Jan.- 9, 1954 nurntnr Patented July 23, 1935 UNITEDSTATES PATENT OFFICE SHOE STRING James E. Tate, Middleton, Ga.Application January 9, 1934, Serial No. '705,939

1 Claim.

The ends of a shoe string often become entangled with the loops or bowsof the bow knot of the string, a hard knot resulting. The presentinvention aims to avoid this, specifically by providing a shoe stringwith detachably interengaged means for uniting the ends of the shoestring.

Fig. 1 is a perspective View of a shoe to which the device has beenapplied, Fig. 2 is a longitudinal section through the interengaged partsof the shoe string, Fig. 3 is a cross section of the sructure shown inFig. 2, and Fig. 4 is a cross section showing a modification.

The numeral I marks a shoe provided with eye lets 2 through which a shoestring 3 is laced at 4, the shoe string being knotted at 5 to form bows6 having end portions 'I which generally are free and likely to becomeentangled in the bows 6.

In the present invention, a rst tip 8 of tubular form, and made of metalor any other suitable substance is placed on one end portion 'I of theshoe string, the tip terminating in a tubular socket 9 having aninternal circumferential seat IIJ. A second tubular tip II is mounted onthe other end portion 'I of the shoe string and terminates in a taperedplug I2 having an outstanding circumferential rib I4. The tips 8 and IIare small enough so that they can be inserted through the shoe eyelets 2in the usual way. The tips 8 and II are held on the end portions 'i ofthe shoe string 3 in any desired way, for instance by means ofindentations I5. The socket 9 preferably is split longitudinally, as atI6, to enhance its resiliency.

The tapered plug I2 is inserted into the socket 9, the rib I4 on theplug engages in the seat I0 oic the socket, the ends of the shoe stringare detachably united, and the said ends cannot become entangled withthe bows B.

In Fig. 4, the socket is shown at I'I and the plug at I8, the socketbeing split longitudinally at 2l. The modification consists in replacingthe circumferential rib I4 of Fig. 2 with a boss I9 adapted to engage ina correspondingly shaped seat 20 on the socket I1.

The indentations l5 havea double function. They engage the end portions1 of the shoe string, and hold the end portions of the shoe string inthe tips 8 and Il, respectively. 'I'he rindentations I5 have anotherfunction, in that they roughen the outer surface of each of the tips 8and Il, and enable an operator to secure a firm hold thereon, whilst theplug I2 is being inserted into the socket 9. The internalcircumferential groove I0 of the socket 9 has a double function, in thatit cooperates with the projection or rib I4 of the plug I2 to hold theplug in' the socket 9, and in that the said groove forms an externalcircumferential rib on the socket 9, which cooperates with theindentations of the tip 8 to enhance the hold of the operator thereon.15

I claim:

In a device of the class described, a first tubular tip terminating atits inner end in a resilient tubular socket, `a second tubular tipterminating at its inner end in a plug which is shaped to lit closely inthe socket, and a shoe string having its ends inserted into the outerends of the tips, the tips having indentations spaced longitudinally ofthe device, from the socket and from the plug and external thereto, theindentations havingr a 2D `double function, in that they engage the endsoi the shoe string and hold them in the tips, and in that theindentations roughen the outer surface of each tip and enable anoperator to secure n a firm hold thereon, whilst the plug is being "0inserted into the socket, the plug being provided with an externaltransverse projection, and the socket being provided with an internalcircumferential groove receiving the projection, the groove having adouble function, in that it cooperates with the projection, to hold theplug in the socket, and in that it forms an external circumferential ribon the socket, which cooperates with the said indentations of the firsttip to enhance the hold of an operator thereon.

JAMES E. TATE.

